Essential Humbucker Upgrade! | Curtis Novak Humbuckers
Curtis Novak Pickups returns to the channel — this time with the Frank Brothers Arcade, all-Korina construction, and a guest appearance from the Cunningham Amps Octave Fuzz. Welcome back to Edge of Breakup.
Curtis Novak Humbuckers pair with the Frank Brothers Arcade (all-Korina) with Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds, into the Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" with Scumback H75-PVC speakers. The Cunningham Amps Octave Fuzz and Benson Preamp feature throughout, with Effectrode Tube Vibe joining from 10:35.
The Cunningham Amps Octave Fuzz is a hybrid Germanium/Silicon circuit — four transistors and four diodes, based on legendary octave fuzz circuits from the 1960s and tweaked for modern use. Each unit is tuned by ear with individually selected components. Volume, Tone, and Mids controls give substantial tonal flexibility, and a 3-way Hi-Cut toggle reins in the octave content when it gets too unwieldy — center is the standard voicing, left and right positions give two levels of high treble attenuation to mellow the octave-up content. As with most fuzz circuits, it works best first in the signal chain, letting the pickups and guitar controls interact directly with the unit. Explored from 02:52.
The all-Korina Frank Brothers Arcade — Korina being the same tonewood used in the late-1950s Gibson Flying V and Explorer, chosen for its lighter weight and open, resonant midrange — gives Curtis Novak's humbuckers a particularly clear and articulate foundation. The Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds keep that clarity intact through the volume knob sweep, explored throughout the cranked amp tones from 06:21 onward.
The Benson Preamp slams the already-cranked Benson Vincent Clean Channel from 07:30, and the Vinny Dirt Channel set to low gain with cranked volume delivers a "dirty boost" character explored from 11:49.
🎛️ Cunningham Amps Octave Fuzz: https://www.cunninghamamps.co.nz/effect-pedals 🎸 Curtis Novak Pickups: https://www.curtisnovak.com 🎸 Frank Brothers Guitar Company: https://www.frankbrothersguitars.com 🔊 Benson Amps: https://www.bensonamps.com/guitar-amplifiers
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🎸 Frank Brothers Arcade (All-Korina) | Curtis Novak Humbuckers | Emerson Custom Treble Bleeds 🎛️ Cunningham Amps Octave Fuzz | Hybrid Ge/Si | 4 Transistors + 4 Diodes | Volume / Tone / Mids | 3-Way Hi-Cut Toggle 🎛️ Also: Benson Amps Preamp | Effectrode Tube Vibe 🔊 Benson Amps Vincent 2x12" | Scumback H75-PVC
Recording: Universal Audio Apollo x4 | Ohma Ribbon | Lauten Audio LS-208 | Royer R121 & R10 | Ableton Live 12
